Contemporary Responses

I thought that the Contemporary Responses included at the end of the novel were interesting, in the way that they shed light on the publishing world of that time period. The last Unsigned Announcement was particularly interesting: “She [the author] is in the city for a few days, and those who wish the book can procure it of her, at No. 107, North Fifth St” (165). It struck me as initially so different than now, that the author would have an address listed, and would personally hand people her book. I mean, I guess that is sort of like self-publishing now, and that the announcement is unsigned suggests that it could have been written by her – or by one of the people who advocated for the book in other letters. After all, in the letter on the first page of the Appendix, in writing about Jacobs’s initial reluctance to write and sell her story, Amy Post says, “But her sensitive spirit shrank from publicity” (157).

But the author of the unsigned announcement seems to be someone from the Christian Recorder, where the footnote says it appeared. After all, the author does refer to “we,” and says, “This is the title of a new work put into our hands by the author […]” (165).

How was the book put into their hands? In the other letters included, people are advocating for the book, and perhaps one of them gave it to the Christian Recorder. For example, the book is on sale at the Anti-Slavery Office and thus being promoted by William C. Nell (161-162), and Lydia Marie Child, who he mentions as writing the Introduction, writes a letter to Whittier which states the following: “The Boston booksellers are dreadfully afraid of soiling their hands with an Anti-Slavery book; so we have a good deal of trouble in getting the book into the market.” She then goes on to question him about prospects, saying in part, “If you think it worth while to send any to Newburyport or Amesbury, please inform me to whom to send.” This suggests that Child was doing her best to find buyers for the book, in spite of the political difficulty in selling it. But it also suggests that perhaps she wasn’t quite familiar with the book-publishing world, because she wasn’t sure where to go.

Was she familiar with it though? She was apparently Jacobs’s friend, and she says, “I have taken a good deal of pains to publish it, and circulate it, because it seemed to me well calculated to take hold of many minds […]” (163). This kind of reminds me of what literary agents say today. But was Child just Jacobs’s friend? She mentions knowing her daughter (163), and Nell says they were “acquainted.” I kind of put her on par with Amy Post, who was obviously her friend, and who Nell says wrote a letter in the book.

Ultimately of course, the book got published, and stuck around, which suggests that what’s important or good enough to be read will eventually get published. This reminded me of our conversation about Whitman and Leaves of Grass. He self-published, wrote his own letters to papers – but his book is widely published and read today. So, you asked in one class if Whitman’s failures before his success were heartening. I’m going to say: Yes.